Machine for cutting corks for stoppers



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN DENISON CROCKER, OF NORVVICH, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS FOR STOPPERS.v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,741, dated March 25,1862.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that l, JOHN DENrsoN OROOKER, of Norwich, in the county ofNew London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and ImprovedMachine for Cutting Corks for Stoppers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of ,the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecificatiom in which- Figure lis a side view of my invention; Fig. 2,a plan or top View of the same; Figs. 3 and 4, sections of the same,taken, respectively, in the lines .fr .fr y y, Figs. l and 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severaligures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a machine for cutting corksfor Stoppers which will perform the work rapidly and be capablel ofbeing readily adjusted, so as to cut the corks of cylindrical or taperform, as may be desired, and of any required degree of taper and size. g

The invention has also for its object a simple andautomatically-operating means for clamping and holding the corks to becut.

To these ends the invention consists in the employment or use of atilting frame or arms provided with one or more arbors which are rotatedor thrown in and out of gear by the tilting movement of the frame, thelatter being operated by the cutter-shaft, and the arbor or arborsprovided with clamps or holders, which are also operated by the tiltingof the arbor-frame, the above parts being also used in connection withfeeders, also self-operating, and a rotating circular cutter, allarranged substantially as hereinafter fully shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

lA. represents a base or platform on which the machine rests, and B is avertical shaft placed on said base and having a pulley B on its upperend, around' which a belt C passes7 said belt also passing around avertical shaft D, on which a circular cutter E is placed. This cutterhas a smooth knife-edge, the basil being on its upper surface, and theshaft D may be adjusted at its upper end by a set-screw c, so as to giveit a vertical or a slightly-inclined position, as may be desired.

On the base or platform A there are placed two standards b b, the upperparts of which receive the journals of a horizontal shaft F. On theshaft F there are secured two arms G Gr, each'of which is provided withtwo uprights c c, which form the bearings of v an arbor H. The arbors HH are allowed to turn freely in their bearings, and at their back endsthey are each provided with a pinion d.

The front parts of the arbors H H are of tubular form, and in the front;part of each arbor there is placed a spindle I, the outer end of whichis provided with a button c, serrated or toothed at its face side. Eacharbor H has a band or ring .I fitted on it, and these bands or rings areconnected to the spindles I by pins f, which pass through oblong slots gin the arbors, as shown in Fig. 1.

The shaft F has a plate K projecting laterally from it, and on thisplate an upright h is attached, which has a spring L at its upper end,said spring being of semi-elliptic form and having its ends bearingagainst the bands orrings J on the arbors H H. The spring L has atendency to keep the spindles I thrown out from the arbors H to theirfullest extent.

M is a slide the ends of which are fitted on the arbors H H. This slideis connected by a bail-shaped rod N with the upper end of a lever O, thefulcrum-pin t' of which passes through an arm j, attached to the Linderside of the plate K. The lower end of the lever O has a pin t"projecting-laterally from it, as shown clearly in Fig.

P is an upright attached to the base or platform A at a point aboutinline with the back ends' of the arms G Gr. This upright 'P has'a catchQ attached to it, said catch being simply a shoulder j formed at thelower end of a bar Z, which is secured to the upright P by a pin Z, thebark having a spring mbearing against its lower end, which springhasatendency to keep the shoulder j toward the lower part of the leverO. The back part of the shoulder j is rounded, as shown clearly in Fig.1.

Y On a vertical shaft ce* there is placed a cam R, which is formed by aserpentine groove mx in the periphery of a pulley n. Into the groove mXof this pulley a pin o tits, said pin projecting laterally from an armp, attached tothe shaft F. The cam R is driven by a belt @XX from shaftD.

S S are two upright stationary shafts attached to the base or platformA, one just back of each arm G. On each of these up` rights there isplaced a loose drum 'I, having a bevel-wheel U at its upper end. Thedrums T'T rest on the ends of a spring V, which has a tendency to keepthem elevated against pins q q,which pass through the upper parts of theuprights. A series of holes maybe made in these uprights, through any ofwhich the pins q may pass, andthe height of the wheel U thereforeregulated as desired.

The front parts of the arms G G are curved or bent upwardas shownclearly in Fig. l, and in the upper ends of the parts r there are placedloosely small spindles rx, which have buttons sat their outer ends, saidbuttons being serrated and facing t-he serrated buttons e of thespindles I in the arbors H H.

is a bent lever which has itsfulcrumpin t passing through an upright uon the base or platform A. 'The lower part of the lever W extendsunderneath the front part' of the arm G, which adjoins it, and a springX, which is' attached to the base or platform A,4 bears against" thelower part of the lever .W and has a tendency to keep the upper end ofsaid lever out from the spindles I rf of the arm G aforesaid. A leverWis applied to each arm G. j

Y is a case, which serves as `a guard for the cutter E.

i The operation of the machine is as follows: The slabs of cork are cutor sawed into small blocks of rectangular form and of a size that willadmit of the cork Stoppers being cut of the required dimensions. Theshaft B is rotated by any convenient power, and the l l claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters .'Patent, is-'- belt C. The arms G G asthe cutter-shaft D drums 'Il T are rotated from the shaft B by belts a'b', and the cutter Eis rotated by the rotates are worked up and down bymeans of the cam R. As the front ends of the arms' G i nection with therotary arbors H, oneor more,

G approach the lowest point of their movement the spindles I I are drawnback within the arbors H H, on account of the pin t" of the lever Ocatching behind the shoulder j of the bar lo, and the front ends of thearms G G in their descent press down the lower parts of the levers W andthrow their upper parts toward the spindles I frx. On theupper parts ofthese levers W the corks to be cut are placed, and said corks by thismovement of thelevers are fed between the buttons e s of the spindles Irx, and at that moment the pin t" of the lever O passes above theshoulder j of the bar k and the spring L is allowed to throw thespindles I I out from the arbors H H, so that the corks will be graspedfirmly be tween the spindles ITX. j The front ends of the arms G Gthenrise under the action of the cam R, and just before the corks come incontact with the cutter E the pinions d engage with the wheels U U andthe arbors H H are rotated, and the cutterE will cut them in conicalform, the conical shape being due to the inclination of the arms G G.Anydesired degree of taper may be given the cut corks or Stoppers byinclining the cutter-shaft D more or less through the medium of thescrew a. As the front ends of the arms G G rise, the springs X X throwup the lower parts of the levers W W, and the upper ends of said leversare thrown back from the spindle I rx, and when the arms G G reachthehighest point of their movement and the corks are fully turned thefront ends of the arms G G begin to descend and the pinions d d leavethe wheels UU, the rotation of the arbors H H ceasing, and the spindlesI I are drawn back within the arbors H, so that the cut corks orstoppers are allowed to drop from between the spindles I fr, and thelatter consequently may re-y ccive other corks to be turned. As thefront4 ends of the arms G G rise, the pin of the lever O forces outwardthe shoulder.; ofthe bar k, so that the pin may pass behind it.

(See Fig. 3, in which the outward position of the shoulder j is show-ninred.) f i Corks may be cut of diiferent sizes by raising the shaft Dof the vcutter E to the desired point, the step of the shaft beingadjustable, and adjusting the wheels U U ontheir shafts S S so that thepinions d may gear into them at the propertime. i

, From theabove description it 'will be seen that the several parts oftheinachine all work automatically from the driving-shaft B, all thatisvrequired being attendantsto feed thecorks to the shoulders I rx,- andthis may be done by children.

Having thus described my invention ,whatI 1. The tilting arms G G, oneor more, provided with the spindles fr'X and arranged in relation withthe rotating cutter E, in conalso placed on the arms G G and providedwith the spindles I, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Operating or sliding the spindles I so that they may grasp andrelease the corks at the proper time by means of the bands or rings J J,slide M, spring N, lever O,and the shoulder'j, attached vto the bar k,as herein set forth.

` l 3. Rotating the arbors H H through the medium of the adjustablewheels U U on the shafts S S and the pinions d d on the arbors H H,arranged, as shown, so that the arbors H H may be rotated, as described.

4.` The levers W, when used in combination and arranged in relation withthe arms G G, as shown, to operate as feeders, as setforth.

JOHN DENISON CROCKER.

Witnesses:

HIRAM B. CnosBY, SOLOMON LUCAS.

